Sewer robots deployed in Wuhan

Photo taken on Nov 15 shows the sewer robot being deployed in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. [Photo by Li Hui/chinadaily.com.cn]

Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, has started to use robots to inspect the city‘s underground sewer network.

The city‘s water affairs authority used to send workers down to inspect underground pipes, but some are not large enough, making internal inspection impossible. In other cases, there is poisonous gas in the pipes, threatening the safety of inspectors.

Sewer robots were developed by a local company thanks to advances in the fields of electronics and motion control engineering.

They are shaped like a model car, with four wheels and a flexible, revolving head that features a high definition camera and searchlights.

A cable connects the robot to a control device operated by the inspectors, who can direct the robot‘s movements and see the images it transmits.

下水道机器人在武汉研发

武汉，湖北省的省会城市，开始使用机器人检查城市的下水道网络。

这个城市的水务局经常派遣工人检查地下管道，但是由于人的身材较大，使得一些内部的检查变得困难。另一方面，在管道里面还有有害气体，危害着工人的安全。

当地的一家公司开发出了下水道机器人，这得益于电子和运动控制领域工程技术的进步。

机器人的形状想一台现代的汽车，他有4个轮子和一个灵活和旋转的头部搭配了一个高清晰度的相机和探照灯。

一个缆绳连接着机器人来控制机器人的动作，这样机器人就可以知道机器人的动作和看到机器人传来的图像。